SARAH WUELLNER, Sports Editor—
Sophia Cheros ‘22 has dribbled and shot a basketball since as long as she can remember. From falling in love with the sport at age 4 and continuing into her current senior year at Denison. There has never been a time where she was not playing on a team throughout her schooling. So she could not see herself at Denison without a basketball in hand.
Cheros is heading into her senior year with 22 teammates by her side which is a larger roster than the usual 15 players that most teams have. “My favorite part of basketball is being on a team that is more like a family,” Cheros said. She was approached before the beginning of her first-year at Denison by Coach Lee.
After sending the coach basketball film, Cheros was asked to come visit Denison and then offered a spot on the team. “It was a simple process compared to other schools. She was straightforward about wanting me to come to Denison to play basketball” she said.
Cheros described her biggest challenge that most first-years face, “Coming to college where everyone is decently good at basketball, so they were one of the best at their high school. When you come to college everyone is that way so you have to adjust your game and competitiveness.”
She had the opportunity to sit in for two games her freshman year and since has played every game. “You have to realize that you’re probably not going to play your first-year, which is a big adjustment. You have to find the role of supporting your teammates, even though you’re not in the game” she explained.
The team is already getting ready for the season with conditioning once a week at 6 a.m. and lifting a couple of times a week. By October everything will be back in full swing with two hour practices six days a week. During breaks they sometimes have two practices a day and they never have a day off as there are no classes.
“My favorite memory is winter break as we are on campus when no one else is here for about a month. It is draining but it comes with really great memories as we all work hard together” Cheros reminisced.
As her career as a post in the 4 or 5 position draws to an end Cheros finds joy in her last season at Denison. “I stay motivated by recognizing how much I have put into it and that I am almost done. I have to make the most of it or I will regret not working hard and not showing up everyday. It is bittersweet but I want to embrace and enjoy the last season. Even with conditioning I’m happy to be there, but at the same time I’m like I only have three more” Cheros described.
Cheros is not leaving athletics for good as after she leaves Denison she wants to continue in the field, but not only basketball. “I want to be a strength coach. I was able to coach a club team this summer through an internship” Cheros uttered. She explained that she is scared but excited to have a change of her daily routine once she begins graduate school.